"I was born in a house that looked a great deal like
this one. Not one sprig of grass or weeds in the yard. If so,
you weren't a very clean person. We didn't plant grass until I was
about sixteen in our yard, and granny had a fit."

Mildred Mills Stevenson

Least we not forget our "Roots", this being our heritage.
We cannot change who we are, nor the lineage we descend. Having vivid
memories of our childhood is something we all should cherish. Even
the ones that weren't so good, yet they happened and you still recall them.
This learning process is called development and growing up.

As we get more mileage under our feet, we look back
at what we had when we were younger. I remember going to my grandparents
when we would come to Florida on vacation, they lived in Perry, Florida.
My great grandmother, my grandfather's mother, lived with them, and I remember
writing letters for her. to know that this elder loving person trusted
me to to convey her thoughts to her loved ones who lived in a far off place.
It's the time I spent with her and my grandparents that I feel has
inspired me to get involved with genealogy and have a deep love for history.

Those were the good times and I'll forever cherish
them. For those of you reading this, this isn't Mildred doing the
writing. Part of the persona my grandfather possessed, must have
got down to me somehow. I'm helping Mildred with Dixie County, because
I care. So Mildred, this is for you.

For information my grandparents were Wesley Columbus
and Edwa Jo E. Stephens Stanaland. My great grandmother was
Sarah Charlotte Howard Stanaland. My great grandmother's parents
were Wesley Vincent and Buena Hall Howard. They were married
in Lafayette County August 9, 1877. So I imagine they set up house
keeping in a homestead similar to that in the picture above, where it's
not really know. However, I assume it was near present day Salem;
but not sure whether it was Taylor County or Lafayette (Dixie) County.